What grants/scholarships are available for mothers?

Question

I started my AA several years ago but I stopped attending college when I got married and had children. Now, at 25, I am ready to go back. I am just 3 months away from completing my AA degree and would like to continue on to get my Bachelors and Masters degrees. Unfortunately, the cost of college plus books is substantial and I'd like to know if there are any grants or scholarships available to married mothers (ie not single mothers).

Answer 1

Hello how are you? What I suggest you do is use a scholarship search. A scholarship search allows you to create a profile and receive information for all the scholarships that you are eligible to apply for based on your profile description. Scholarshipsupport.com actually has 2 free scholarship searches available right now. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Liz:

I can't speak for whether or not there are any scholarships that are specifically targeted at young moms, but I can tell you that the federal government does not have special educational funding programs for moms, single or married - nor do they have special funding programs for older students who want to return to school after time in the workforce, or time raising children.

That hardly means that there are no funds available - it just means that the sources of these funds are the same sources that are available to all college students. You will need to begin the process by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

Based on your household income and assets,  you may be eligible for need-based aid, which includes grants, special loans and possibly work-study. Those applicants who do not qualify for need-based aid are still eligible for the very attractive Stafford Loan program, which allows you and your husband to make a low(er) cost investment in your future.

Should the government have widespread programs to promote higher education amongst displaced workers and moms who are ready to return to the workforce? You won't get any argument from me - but that's part of the larger question of how our taxpayer dollars are allocated.

Good luck to you - get that FAFSA underway, and you'll be ready to participate in the federal and state financial aid programs in no time.